Theater of the Rose 2
by Kurisutaru6
Summary: The continuation of Theater of the Rose, Crystal’s secret is about to be revealed, and this makes her more valuable than ever to the Sabbat. Now members of an independent clan are searching for her too. The race is on…... Please R&R! Updated 1.27.04
1. Chapter 1: Redemption

TotR 2

Saturday, December 1st, 2001

Edison, NJ 4:57 a.m.

Chapter 1: Redemption

Garan awoke to the sound of the telephone ringing. He gently moved Crystal, who was already sleeping peacefully with her arm wrapped around his chest. _Christ, who is calling me right before dawn?_ He got up and walked around the bed to grab the black cordless phone off the nightstand. "Hello?" 

"Garan! I've got interesting news for you!" 

"What is it Gerard? Shouldn't you be going to sleep now?" 

"Well this couldn't wait. One of my connections informed me that there are two strange kindred in town. They are searching for a female kindred for some reason unknown. Do you think it's Crystal they're after?" 

"I doubt it, but I'll investigate tonight. Meet me at my shop at 8 p.m. I'll need some time to feed before we go." 

"Ok, I'll be there." 

"Oh, and don't tell anyone, I don't want to worry Crystal if not necessary." 

"Got it. Alright then, goodbye." 

Garan hung up the phone and placed it back on its receiver. 

_Hmm…I thought this was over after Paul died. Maybe it's not. It's been quiet here the past few months. Crystal has forgotten about what happened that fateful day._

Garan walked back over to the bed and sat next to Crystal as she slept. He looked at her and smiled as he stroked her long wavy auburn locks. _What secrets do you hold my lovely one?_ he thought to himself as he lay down next to her again and drifted off. 

They awoke at sunset. Crystal sat up and looked at Garan. "I've been having strange dreams lately…like things from past lives. It's very weird, so vivid." 

"My sweet Crystal, you need not worry about it. They're just dreams." 

"I'd prefer if you'd call me by Lydian in private." She said with a sly grin, "And I'll call you Gareth." 

"As you wish." He answered. 

She threw a pillow at his head, which he blocked, and stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't patronize me." 

"I'm not. I need to go out and attend to something important. Are you going to stay here?" 

"What is it now? The prince needs his lackeys again? I guess so. I might go out to get a bite to eat though." She giggled. 

"Ok, I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you." 

"I love you too." she said as he bent over and kissed her. 

Garan exited his estate and sat in the white 2002 Mercedes Benz E-class that he had decided to purchase after Paul destroyed the engine in his Pathfinder. He had all the windows tinted dark limo black so he could travel during the daytime when necessary. 

Garan started the car and sped out of the driveway. 

Garan arrived at his scuba shop at 7:54; Gerard was already there waiting in the parking lot. He approached Garan's car, opened the passenger side door, and got in. "Long time no see Garan. I've had members of the Nosferatu clan spying on these two kindred for me. We can go find out who they are and what they want here." 

"Ok, so where to?" 

"They are staying at the Edison Motor Inn." 

"Alright, let's go." Garan pulled out of the lot and raced away. They arrived at the motel; it was a dilapidated u-shaped building, there were only about 7 rooms total. 

Gerard laughed. "So I guess they are cheap?" 

They parked and stepped out of the car. Garan scanned the inhabitants of the motel for their life signs. "Aha! They are in room number four." 

The two Toreador strode up to the door reading #4 and knocked loudly. The door opened a crack and a blue eye peeked out. "What do you want?" he asked. "We wish to speak with you." Garan told him. The door opened, and they stepped into the room. The individual that was sitting in the chair in front of the table stood up next to the one that opened the door. 

One was about 6'1, dressed in simple jeans and a blue polo shirt with a black leather bomber jacket. He had hazel eyes, short reddish brown hair, and a mustache with a goatee. The one standing next to him, the one that had opened the door, was slightly shorter; he had dark brown hair maybe 3 inches long, blue eyes, and long muttonchops. He wore jeans and a black sweater. 

The taller one introduced himself, "My name is John, and this is my lackey Denis." Denis gave him an indignant look. "I am _not_ your lackey." John looked at him and said, "Yes you are, shut up." He then turned back to them. "We are Giovanni." 

Garan looked at him suspiciously. "You are of an independent clan then. What are you doing in this town?" 

"That is a reasonable question, but respectfully, I can not answer it." 

"And why not?" 

"Quite frankly it is none of your business, and I hold no loyalty to any member of the Camarilla." 

"Fair enough…but if I find out you are working for the Sabbat I will personally hunt you down myself and gorge on your blood." 

"Do you greet all your visitors so sweetly?" John said with a sarcastic grin. 

"No. This is special, just for you." 

"Aww, I'm touched. Let's go Denis, we've got things to do." John grabbed the laptop that sat on the table and quickly headed for the door. He walked over to an old silver 1983 DeLorean sitting in the lot and got in. Denis got in the passenger side and they left, leaving Garan and Gerard standing there in the doorway. 

"So, what do you think?" Garan asked. 

"Personally, I wouldn't trust them. They are Giovanni after all. Their clan holds many secrets." 

"What are those two after? We need to find out." 

"I will continue to spy upon them, but there is no way to make them talk." 

"That is true, yet I have a feeling they have been searching for Crystal. I don't want to alarm her though…" 

Meanwhile, Crystal sat at home with Chi-Chi her little black Chihuahua, extremely bored with the television; she decided to give Danielle and Marc a call since she hadn't seen either of them for quite some time now. "Hello!" the voice on the other end answered. 

"Hi Marc! It's been awhile. How are you and Danielle?" 

"Great, she's sucking my dick right now! … Just kidding!" 

"You ass!" She heard someone grab the handset from him. 

"Hello? Crystal! Don't listen to him he is being an idiot." 

"I knew he was joking. So what have you two been up to lately?" 

"Nothing really, we've been spending most of our nights at home, just going out to eat hehe. Of course, taking care of Majin and Loki. You should see Loki! He got so big. Majin treats Loki like a kitten still though. It's cute." 

"That must be so adorable." Crystal sighed, "I'm extremely bored right now. Garan left me here alone, to go do a job for the Prince supposedly. Ah, if only I could believe him. I love him so much, but he is still entirely too overprotective of me." 

"I'm sure he is still afraid to lose you." 

"I just don't feel comfortable talking to him sometimes. He is so damn intimidating. I wish he would lighten up and smile once in a while. I love his smile; it makes me happy when he's happy. It is bothering me that he lies to me to make me feel better. I would much rather know the truth." 

"Haha, men never change, even after becoming kindred." 

"True. Well, I will try to persuade Garan to go to the House of Eternity tomorrow night since we haven't seen you two for quite a while." 

"Alright, that would be great. I'll save you a VIP table." 

"Ok then, see you later. Bye for now!" 

"Ok, bye bye!" Crystal hung up the phone and sat on the couch. She heard the door open and close and turned around to notice Garan walking in. "So how did things go?" she asked him as he plopped down next to her. "Not as I expected, but not bad either." He lay sideways and put his head in her lap. "I guess you're not going to tell me what you were doing huh?" she whined. 

"I can't, I'm sorry." 

"Gareth, do you trust me?" Garan sat up and gave her a strange look. "Of course, why would you ask such a question?" 

"Nevermind…I want you to come with me to Eternity tonight. I talked to Danielle and she said she'll reserve a table for us." 

"Sure, sounds good. Now we'd better get to sleep, dawn approaches." 

Garan stood up, bent over and lifted her up in his arms. "Whoa!" she cried in shock. He grinned and carried her into the bedroom, gently placing her down on their bed. They drifted off to sleep snuggled up in each other's arms. At dusk they awoke. Crystal slipped into a long black strapless silk dress, with matching black heels, and checked her long reddish mane in the mirror. Garan put on black slacks with a black leather belt, black dress shoes, and a black button down shirt tucked in. Crystal eyed him, scrutinizing his outfit. "You need some color. Here, put on this light blue tie, it matches your eyes. Much better." He kissed her forehead and grabbed his car keys off the dresser as they headed out the door. 

They entered the large glass foyer at the House of Eternity, showed their ids to the bouncer and walked straight to the back where Danielle was sitting with Marc. She saw them approaching and waved. Crystal ran ahead and hugged her. "Oh, I haven't seen you in so long!!!" she cried. Garan sauntered over to Marc's side of the table and greeted him with a handshake. "Long time no see man." Marc said. 

"Yeah, it's been awhile. So how are you two? We haven't seen you much since that well…you know." 

"Yeah…" Danielle motioned to the two extra chairs at the table. "Sit, sit!" Crystal and Garan both took seats across from Danielle and Marc. Crystal looked around amazed. "Wow, you redecorated the place!" 

"Yes, I felt it necessary to update the look to my liking." 

They sat upon mahogany chairs upholstered with indigo blue crushed velvet. The round tables had marble tops and sat on a single pedestal of mahogany; the carpeting at their feet was pitch black. An opalescent circular dance floor in the center of the room was bedecked with a huge Chinese dragon painted in the middle of it. Giant marble pillars were decorated with Chinese dragons and phoenixes bejeweled with rubies for eyes. The black tiled wall behind them held a single horizontal row of small cubes that were clear, filled with water, and each held a single black betta fish swimming around inside. Bright white light illuminated the cubes from behind. Wrought iron sconces adorned all of the walls, giving off a soft blue glow from the dark blue glass covers. On the far right wall was the bar, trimmed in blue neon lights. Danielle's paintings were hung all about the club. 

"It's gorgeous! I love it!" Crystal gushed. 

"Thank you." Danielle smiled. "Shall we go to the VIP section?" 

"Yes, of course." Garan answered. 

The group walked through a door in the back, entering a more lavishly decorated room, centered about a large marble fireplace. The face of the fireplace was carved with the same dragon and phoenix design that wrapped around the pillars in the main area, including the ruby eyes. There was a private mini bar at each Lucite table. The cylindrical base of each clear table was hollow, filled with water and small tropical fish. The chairs were red with a black lace overlay, and trimmed with Austrian crystals. This room was carpeted in black as well. 

"Damn it! Why can't I find her?!" John cursed and slammed his fist against the table right next to his laptop, an Apple Powerbook. Denis stared at him and shook his head. "Dude, will you calm down?" The bright computer screen illuminated John's pale face in the dim room as he feverishly tapped away at the keys. "No, I can't understand why there isn't a trace of her existence left anymore. I tracked her all the way here, then suddenly all records of her just vanished? Someone is trying to hide her. I **will** find her, no matter what it takes." Denis collapsed into the reclining chair near the bed. "You shouldn't rely on that damned machine so much. We'll locate her the old fashioned way – espionage. The Camarilla must be keeping her for themselves." 

"Fine, it's Bond time then." John said with a grin. 

"Let's go." 


	2. Chapter 2: Unforgiven

(There is a love scene in here, first ever in this series so far, it's not really that bad. At least I don't think it is lol. R, NC-17, I dunno, Just forewarning the younger readers!) 

Chapter 2: Unforgiven

Back at The House of Eternity, two very handsome men waltzed into the VIP room and took a table near the fireplace. Crystal was the first to notice them. One man was tall and lean, with a somewhat muscular build and pale skin. He wore a black leather trench coat; his silky shoulder length dark brown hair looked almost black in the dim lighting. As she stared, his eyes suddenly rose up from the table for a split second, meeting her gaze, sending a shiver down her spine. They were ice blue, cold and unfeeling, holding no hint of emotion. The man sitting across from him was slightly shorter, with broad shoulders and a very muscular physique; his skin was slightly tanned. He had short spiky dark blond hair and very light golden brown eyes. This man wore a black wool pea coat. The two men sat across from each other, deep in conversation. 

Crystal poked Garan in the ribs and pointed to them. "I am getting really bad vibes from those two." 

Danielle turned to glance at what she was pointing at, then laughed her high-pitched, girlish laugh. "Those two have been regulars here the past few weeks. They always come in together, just them." 

"They are kindred?" Crystal inquired. 

"Yes, but I'm not sure which clan they are from…" Garan quickly replied. 

Danielle glared at him. "Now, no starting trouble in my club Garan." 

"Haha, yes ma'am." 

Marc shifted his drink from hand to hand then placed it back down on the table and smirked. "Why were you looking at those guys anyway huh, Crystal? Planning on leaving Garan?" he teased. 

"Yes, actually I was going to leave Garan for you Marc, you hot manly stud." She retorted. 

Garan and Danielle both started cracking up at that remark. The two mystery vampires glanced over at their table. 

"I'm telling you, those two freak me out for some reason. I feel like they're watching us." 

Garan stroked her hair the way he always does to comfort her and smiled. "Don't worry honey, I would never let anything happen to you." he said. 

Marc smirked at that statement. _As I recall Garan, she was the one who killed your brother finally, not you._

Garan shot him a look that said 'shut up'. 

"So, have either of you heard from Nolan?" Danielle interrupted. 

Garan shook his head. "No, but I have a feeling we will." 

Marc chimed in, "Yeah, where is 'dad' anyway?" 

A thoughtful look crossed Crystal's face. "He'll be here soon, I know it…don't ask me how, I just know." She smiled, but her smile quickly turned to fear and she gripped the table as a vision hit her. _An angry old man with a white beard screaming, "You killed my beloved daughter! Now you shall feel what suffering is truly like!" He is enraged, come to track me down! No, he can't hurt me. Wait, what is he doing?! Nooooo!!!_

"Crystal, what's wrong?" Garan was kneeling in front of her, his palms on her cheeks, directing her face at his. She shook her head, "Nothing…" 

The two vampires sitting across the room were staring curiously again. He stared back at them and they quickly turned their heads away. 

"We'd better get you home." Garan said. 

"Are you sure you're ok?" Danielle asked her. 

"Yes, I am fine." She smiled weakly. _What the hell was that? It seemed so real…I actually felt scared!_

Garan stood up. "Well, thanks for inviting us Danielle, Marc, We'll see you around." Everyone stood up and gave each other farewell hugs. Garan walked Crystal out to the car. 

"Get in.," he told her, "We'll talk when we get home." 

They pulled into the driveway back at their house in Edison and sat on the cold cement stairs in front of the house. Crystal sat in-between his legs on the lower step and he wrapped his arms around her. 

"I'm not going inside until you tell me what's going on." Garan declared. 

"Fine, you want to know what's going on? I'm going insane! I keep having these strange dreams and visions of things that feel so real, like I'm there. I don't know if these are past or future or if they are memories, and I have no clue what they mean!" 

"Why haven't you told me about this?" 

"Why haven't **you** told me where you've really been going lately?" she retorted. 

Garan looked up at the sky, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to worry you." he began, "Gerard informed me of two Giovanni in town that have been looking for a female kindred. I was afraid they might be looking for you, and didn't want to frighten you." 

"It wasn't those two at the bar was it?" 

"No, although they seem suspicious too." 

"Well, I didn't tell you about my dreams because I felt kind of stupid." she admitted sheepishly. 

"You're not stupid, they might be trying to tell you something, like before. You know, we need to start being more open and honest with each other." 

"Yes, we should." She gazed at the stars. "Aren't they lovely?" 

"Not as lovely as you." 

She turned around to face him. "Aww, you're such a sweetie." He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, pulling her close to him. Their lips parted and they cuddled together, at home enveloped in the blackness of night, a sprinkle of tiny glittering stars and a sliver of moon their only light. Crystal sighed, content and at ease. _I feel so safe in his arms…I wish we could stay like this forever…_

"Gar?" 

"What is it?" 

"I am not like you, Gerard, Danielle and Marc am I?" 

"What would make you say that?" 

"I don't know…" 

"Come on, let's go inside and relax for a bit. You look a little worn out, and your color is off. Have you fed lately?" 

"Umm…the other day I think." 

"You're lying to me again aren't you? You are so hopeless." Garan smirked and scooped her up in his arms, taking her inside. He stepped into the living room and plopped her down on the black leather couch. He straddled his knees on either side of her thighs and held himself up with his arms, his hands placed on either side of her head, his face hovering about a foot away from hers. 

"What are you doing?" she giggled. He ripped off his shirt and tossed it behind the couch. "This." he replied as his canines slid out from beneath his upper lip. Garan bit into his tongue with them and leaned in to kiss her. She immediately kissed him back, her own tongue playing with his, sucking up the blood that oozed from the open wounds. He slipped the straps of her black dress off her shoulders, and pulled the dress down to her waist, exposing her pale supple breasts. He started to caress them as he continued kissing her, moving down to nibble on her hard nipples. Crystal's thin fingers roamed up and down his back then zoomed underneath to undo the button on his pants. She quickly unzipped them, slid them off and threw them to the floor. He bit into her neck and she cried out in delight. Crystal raked her sharp red nails across his chest, drawing blood, and licked the slashes she had just left, closing them up. Garan slid her dress off the rest of the way and threw it aside, then grabbed her pink panties with his teeth and ripped them off. He pulled off his silk boxers and separated Crystal's legs with his own. She wrapped her legs around his hips, begging him to go on. He entered her slowly and began a rhythmic pace. A small gasp escaped her lips. They continued with slow strokes, and then quickened the pace a little. "Here, let's switch." Garan said as he placed his arm underneath her and spun them around so that she was on top without having to pull out. She sat back and began to move up and down, thrusting harder and faster against him. His hands caressed her bottom and ran up and around her back to grip her breasts. He moaned with pleasure as Crystal swayed back and forth on top of him. The pressure mounted, suddenly he sat up and she wrapped her strong legs around his hips, rocking harder with each thrust. He sank his pearly white teeth into her neck and she cried aloud as she came to orgasm. 

Crystal kept going faster and harder as Garan laid back down. She leaned over him, her breasts brushing against his chest, and ran her right hand through his slick brown hair; leaned in further, gently bit into his neck and started feeding on him. Shudders ran throughout his body, he uttered incoherent sounds at the sensation of his lover taking him. Finally, he climaxed with a scream that was half human, half growl. Crystal rolled over next to him and grinned. "I got you that time!" 

Garan laughed and smiled at her. "You always know how to push my buttons woman." She laid her head down on his bare chest and curled up in his strong arms. Crystal quickly fell asleep on top of him; he carried her into their bedroom and laid her gently upon the crimson silk sheets. He walked around to his side of the bed and crawled in next to her, quickly drifting off behind her. 

(Hehehe, the first love scene ever in TotR! Is it good? Too much? I never wrote this type of stuff before. O_o Is it bad? Tell me!) 


	3. Chapter 3: The Sacrifice

(Chapter 3 now complete!) 

Chapter 3: The Sacrifice

The next night Crystal woke up and looked next to her. Garan was not in the bedroom. She threw on her robe and walked into the hallway. "Garan? Honey? Are you here?" _No answer…where could he be?_ Chi-Chi followed her into the kitchen where she grabbed a can of dog food out of the cabinet under the sink, opened it up, and poured it into his metal bowl next to the refrigerator. The tiny Chihuahua started happily munching on his food. She ignored the dog and wracked her brain trying to think of where Garan was. _He didn't tell me he had anywhere to be…I should check to see if his car is here._ Out the front door she walked, stood on the doorstep, and looked over to the driveway, where her car sat alone. _Aha! His car is gone. Where the heck did that man take off to now? I told him to stop lying and hiding things from me!_

Crystal rushed back inside and quickly brushed her long red hair, put on jeans, a black turtleneck sweater with a pair of black suede platform boots, grabbed her black suede trench coat and keys, and headed out the door. The black 2002 Ford Thunderbird sat in the driveway waiting for her, already running with remote start. She hopped in and backed out of the driveway. _Hmm, let me try Gerard first._ She speed dialed Gerard with the cell phone mounted in the car's console. He picked up on the first ring. "Hello?" 

"Hi Gerard, is Garan with you?" 

"No he isn't. Why?" 

"When I woke up tonight he was gone. I don't know where he went." 

"Well, that isn't good." 

"Do you know where he might be?" 

"I think so, come pick me up." 

"Ok, be there in 10 minutes." 

"I'll be waiting. Goodbye." 

"Bye." 

The T-bird pulled out onto the highway, down Rte. 1, and turned off onto Blackbird St., where Gerard lived. Crystal pulled up in front of his house, a large ranch with barely any windows, much like their own home. The exterior of the house was covered in dark blue vinyl siding, with slightly lighter blue shutters. The roof was done with charcoal gray shingles. He had the yard landscaped professionally with decorative trees and bushes. _Haha, he almost fits in with the neighbors…almost._ she giggled to herself. 

Crystal walked up the driveway past his shiny new black 2002 Ford Mustang GT to his door and was about to lift her hand to knock when the door opened. Gerard's head popped out and he grinned. "Looking good Crystal!" 

"Don't try to flatter me Gerard. Where is he? I know he tells you more than he tells me." 

His smile dissipated. "Yes well, he is a teensy bit too overprotective of you still." 

"That's no excuse." 

"Well, ready to go?" 

"Yep." 

They walked out to Crystal's car and got in. She quickly started the car and pulled away. He looked around the car's interior. "Nice car, black leather, dual climate control, Select Shift transmission, very, very nice." 

"Thanks, you've never been in my car before?" 

"No, don't think I have." 

"I still miss my Porsche though. Anyway, where are we headed?" 

"Eternity." He replied. 

She looked at him quizzically. "Why would he be at Danielle's club?" 

"You remember the two kindred at the club last night? Garan's gone to investigate them. He told me that he believes they are Sabbat that have been snooping around here. Possibly on you." 

"You're kidding…right?" 

"No, I am not." 

"Shit, how does he think he can handle two Sabbat by himself? Is he crazy? If they catch on to him, he's _**really**_ dead. We've got to catch up with him before he does something incredibly stupid." 

With that she planted her foot on the gas pedal and sped down Rte. 1. 

"Whoa, little speed demon you are." Gerard observed. 

Crystal continued speeding until 1 merged with Rte. 9, once she hit 9 she took a U-turn to get to the House of Eternity. They arrived and pulled into the parking lot, immediately she noticed Garan's Mercedes sitting there. _He's here Gerard. Come on._

They got out of the car and walked through the frosted glass front doors of Eternity, showed their VIP passes to the person at the desk and walked through the second set of thick wooden doors. Once inside they walked straight back to the VIP section. Crystal noticed the two from last night sitting at the same table, they looked up when she and Gerard walked in. _Where is Garan?_ she wondered. 

_Garan! Where are you, I know you are here!_ Crystal shouted at him. A startled sounding reply came instantly, _What are you doing here?! How did you know where I was?_

_Gerard told me. He is here as well. Where are you hiding?_

_I am in the booth with Danielle and Marc. It's a small door in the back wall._

Crystal motioned to Gerard to follow her through the little black door to the left of a huge fancy mirror etched with ankh symbols and roses as a border. They emerged into a relatively small black room, with a private bar, table, a few chairs, and a bench mounted to the wall. Danielle, Marc, and Garan were all seated around the table. "Hello Crystal!" Danielle greeted, "And you Gerard." Gerard nodded in response and sat down on the bench. Crystal stared at Garan with a look of disapproval on her delicate face. "So what are you guys doing back here might I ask?" she inquired. 

"This is my private room," Danielle started to explain, "I sit back here and observe the guests to make sure things are running smoothly when I don't feel like being out on the floor." 

"Observe? Huh?" 

Garan pointed to the large mirror, which she looked right through to her surprise. 

"Oh! These are like the observational rooms the cops have!" 

"Yes," He replied, "something like that." 

So you didn't answer me, "Why are you back here?" 

Marc butted in, "We're spying on the two kindred that have been coming in here these past few weeks. They are looking for trouble." 

"And trouble is just what we **don't** need right now." Danielle stated. "I think we had enough trouble with Paul." 

Gerard nodded his head in concurrence. "Agreed." 

Garan stood up and shook his head, annoyed. "Look guys, either we find out what they want, or we wait and possibly get attacked unexpectedly. Don't you think #1 is the better option?" 

Just as he finished speaking, the two kindred got up and walked toward the exit. Marc was the first to notice. "Look everyone, they're leaving! Let's go follow them, harass them, and possibly get killed." He said sarcastically. 

Danielle laughed. "So basically, you're saying you're scared." 

"Heck yeah I am!" Marc replied with a cheesy grin. 

"Ok, Gerard and Crystal, you hang back and keep and eye on things here. Marc, Danielle, follow me." 

"How come they get to stay?" Marc whined. 

"Because, five people will be noticed much easier than three, and three should be enough to handle those two if things go bad." 

"Oh, I see." 

_Garan, I have a bad feeling about this, you really should stay…_ Crystal told him. 

_Don't worry, I'll be careful. Love you babe._

_I love you too…_ her thought-speak trailed off. 

"Ok, let's go!" Danielle said. 

Danielle unlocked the back door and they followed Garan out. 

Crystal fidgeted around in her seat, her pale features stricken with worry. "Gerard, I'm really worried…I just know something terribly awful is about to happen." 

Garan, Danielle, and Marc followed the Sabbat through the woods behind the rear parking lot, until they came to a decent size clearing where the two vampires suddenly stopped. The taller one with the shoulder length hair turned around first, snickering loudly. "Come out where I can see you Garan, Danielle, Marc, all of you." He commanded. The shorter blond haired vampire stood right next to him, waiting for them to approach. 

_Shit Garan, how does he know our names?_ Marc asked him nervously. 

_I think they've done their homework, that's how. Time to face them._

Garan stepped out into the dark clearing, a small amount of light shown down from the crescent moon, casting some light upon the forest floor, but to his vision it was almost like day. Marc and Danielle followed behind. 

Garan looked them up and down, sizing up his opponents. "So, I see you know our names. How about you tell us yours?" 

The tall dark haired one answered, "I am Caleb, and this is Rafe. You best remember those names." 

"You are Sabbat right?" 

"Yes, clan Tzimisce." Caleb replied. 

"What do you want with us?" 

Rafe interjected, "Why would we tell you?" 

"Maybe we should beat it out of you." Marc retorted. 

Back at the club, Crystal grew restless waiting. "I don't care what Garan said, I'm going to find them!" She got up and ran out the back door. 

"Crystal, wait!" Gerard called to her as he followed, but she didn't slow her pace at all. 

"So, you think you could beat us eh?" Caleb laughed. "Hah, foolish Toreador. Don't think that just because you beat Paul that you will have the same luck with us. There is a big difference between a Toreador Antitribu, and a Tzimisce." 

"I guess we'll find out won't we?" Danielle said. 

"Hah, the Toreador bitch has balls!" Rafe sneered. 

Crystal zipped through the woods at a preternatural speed until she heard talking in the distance. She instantly recognized Danielle's voice, so she stopped and crept along until she reached the break in the forest. She hid behind a large oak tree and watched from the darkness. 

"Come at me if you think you can take me." Rafe offered. 

"Leave her alone." Marc growled. 

_Calm down you two, the Tzimisce are notorious for their vicious nature. They aren't bluffing._ Garan told them. 

Marc looked angry. _No way Garan, they insulted Danielle!_

_Marc, **listen** to me! You can't do anything!_

He ignored Garan's warnings and stepped up to Rafe. Rafe was about 5'11, and Marc, at only 5'6, came up to his chin. Rafe laughed at him, "What are you gonna do little one?" 

"Stop this now!" a deep voice yelled from a distance. 

Everyone stopped and looked around, startled. Crystal stared unbelievingly at the two figures that had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. 

"Oh my god, It's Nolan!" she cried aloud. He had changed his hairstyle from long to short and spiky, but she'd recognize him any day. _Who is that man next to him?_

Danielle froze, her eyes went wide and she went weak in the knees as she recognized the man standing there. "It….it……can't be! Merrick?" 

Marc turned, distracted by Danielle's sudden cries. In all the commotion no one had noticed Caleb pulling a long sword out of a flap in his trench coat. He took advantage of the distraction and stabbed Marc right through the lower torso, dragging the sword all the way up through his head, all in one swift movement. Marc's split body fell to the ground in a pool of blood and entrails. He raised the sword again, this time it came down on Marc's neck; the two halves of his head fell and wobbled like a split melon. "NOOOO!!!" Danielle cried. Caleb started laughing and bent down with a gloved hand, swiping his finger across Marc's body. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked it. "Hmm, not bad." 

Rafe laughed hysterically. "Ooh, he was really tough." 

Danielle, enraged, called upon a Great Horned Owl; it plummeted down from the sky and raked its large talons across Rafe's eyes. He growled and lashed out trying to hit the bird. 

Garan grabbed Rafe and threw him a few hundred feet through the air then turned to Caleb. "You bastard!" he growled menacingly. He lunged at Caleb and knocked him to the ground. Caleb was still laughing, he pulled off his leather glove and slashed Garan across the face with his claws, leaving deep gashes. Garan reeled back and howled in pain, clutching his face. Caleb flew up into the air where Rafe was already waiting. "It's been fun!" Caleb yelled down before they took off into the night. 

Crystal ran out from her hiding spot to Garan's side. "Are you ok?! Oh my god…" she said, still in a bit of shock. She pulled his hands away from his face. "Let me see…" 

"I'll be fine." He said. He had four deep lines cut into his face; two ran right across his eyes. They were bleeding profusely, but as she watched the bleeding started to slow as the wounds began to heal. Gerard, having finally found them, stepped out into the clearing and looked around at all the carnage. _Hmm, she was right…_ he thought to himself. 

Danielle ran to Marc's side and sat next to his dying body. Crimson tears streamed down her cheeks, hitting her thighs and staining her jeans red. Merrick knelt down behind her and wrapped his arms around Danielle's shaking form. "I'm so sorry Danielle. I should have told you." 

"Why Merrick? That's all I want to know." She uttered between sobs. 

"I left to find out why the Sabbat wanted Crystal. To gain access to the information I sought, I needed to make the Sabbat think I was dead so that I could travel freely, without being hunted anymore. Apparently it worked pretty well, better than I thought." 

Nolan interrupted. "And I picked him up along my travels to find the very same answers. I guess it is time I explain some things. Garan, the reason why I created you is so you would find Lydian, as was prophesized. What you don't know is that when I embraced you I had been followed by the Sabbat. I had been careless and they attacked me as I finished embracing you. I managed to give them a good chase and lure them away from you by morphing into a wolf and running into the woods. Unfortunately I never made it back there, but I always knew you were ok. For years I searched, trying to find out what was so special about Lydian. I even infiltrated the Sabbat through your brother, but I still couldn't find the answer. But now I have finally found it, her secret…" 

"What? What is it?" Crystal asked. 

"Have you ever heard the legends of our origin?" 

Garan nodded yes. 

Danielle looked dumbfounded. "No?" 

"Caine is said to have three progeny, two male and a female, named Enoch (or Ynosh) the Wise, Irad the Strong and Zillah the Beautiful, and these three progeny created the Antediluvians (the 3rd generation). The three first generations lived together in the so-called first city. But the truth may be much more complicated and some other children of Caine are heard of..." 

"What are you getting at here?" Garan asked. 

"I believe that Crystal is one of his unknown children." 

She seemed saddened by this. "You mean…I am Caine's progeny? Then I was never really human…" 

"Oh but you were! Long before the Camarilla was formed, you had killed a powerful sorcerer's daughter, in his fury he cast a spell on you as revenge, trapping you in human form forever, your immortal soul being reborn over and over again with no memories of your true form." 

"But I am not mortal anymore, so isn't the curse broken?" 

"Unfortunately, no. The curse is still not lifted, even though Garan awakened part of you. If you die in vampire form you will be reborn as a human again. Your real power and the memories of your whole life are still locked away until you break the spell." 

"And how do we do that?" Garan asked. 

"I have no idea." 

"You mean I am gonna be stuck like this forever?! Half human, half vampire…" 

"Well, I believe the Sabbat know how to break the spell, that is why they are searching for you. But they can't be trusted. They want to use you to give them an upper hand in their quest to take over and kill all the antediluvians." 

"Hmm, so who cast this spell? We need to find out what they did to reverse it, but unfortunately Crystal has no memory left." Garan said. 

"Whoever it was is long dead now." Gerard pointed out. 

Crystal looked out of the side of her eye at the man Danielle had called 'Merrick'. He was tall and thin, with long black hair parted at the center; his eyes were a gorgeous shade of bright green, and his skin was very pale, almost ivory. He wore black lace up shoes, and black leather pants with a tight black short sleeve shirt, revealing his toned chest and abdomen. Over his clothes he had on a long black trench coat, the kind that tie at the waist. 

_So that is Danielle's sire, huh…_

"Crystal? Did you hear me?" Garan asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

"Oh, no, sorry." 

"I asked you what you want to do." 

"Hmm…I think we should all go home and rest, it's been a really rough day, and I think Danielle has a lot to sort out for herself, never mind my problems. We'll think of something." 

They stood over Marc's body. "He was my childe…I am sorry Danielle." Nolan said remorsefully. 

A blood tear ran down across Garan's bloodied and torn features. "I feel like it's my fault, he didn't want to go in the first place." 

Danielle looked up at him. "Don't blame yourself Garan, you couldn't have known this was going to happen." 

Crystal and Gerard stood in silence. 

"I think I need to be alone…" Danielle said softly. 

"Ok then Garan, Crystal, Gerard, you go home. I will meet with all of you tomorrow night at Garan's house." Nolan said. 

Crystal knelt down next to Danielle and gave her a big hug. "It'll be ok hun." She said soothingly. They all bid each other farewell and headed back to their cars. Merrick looked at Nolan. "I will stay behind with Danielle." _…and help burn Marc's remains._ Nolan gave a solemn nod and morphed to owl, flapped his wings and took off to the skies. 

(Ok, that's it for ch3, it will be edited later I'm sure but that's it for now...Please R&R people!) 


	4. Chapter 4: Merrick

(Chapter 4 is complete, may be revised later.) 

Chapter 4: Merrick

"Merrick, I don't understand why you lied to me too, the one you loved, your own childe." Danielle glared up at him in disapproval. 

He gave her an indignant look. "I did it to protect you. If you had known I was alive you wouldn't have let me leave alone, and you would've been hunted by the Sabbat." 

"Even so, I would've stayed by your side. I loved you, and you led me to believe you were dead! What were you expecting to do, just waltz back into my life when you were done? I'd moved on already, and now Marc is dead because of me." 

"I don't know what to say…I have my loyalties to my prince and our clan. I needed to investigate the Sabbat, and I had to do it alone, as much as I loved you…you do not understand how I longed for you all these years, how I missed you." 

"Yes, I do understand. I wouldn't be so upset and angry if I didn't." She brushed herself off and Merrick helped her up. She stood in front of him; his eyes swept up and down her body. "You're still as beautiful as the day I embraced you." 

She cut him off before he could say any more. "We need to burn Marc's body." 

"Ok, let me take care of this then." 

"No, I should do it. Marc would have wanted it that way." 

"Fine, take my lighter." He said as he pulled a shiny silver Zippo out of his pocket and handed it to her. Danielle ran her fingers across the front of the lighter. It had a rose embossed upon it, with a date '4/02/1994' underneath the rose. "This…is the lighter I had given you as a gift…with the date that you had embraced me." 

Merrick smiled, flashing his bright white teeth. "So, you remembered." 

"I just can't believe you've kept it with you all this time." 

"Well, you still have the necklace I gave you." He motioned to the silver ankh hanging about her pale neck. She lifted it up, rolling it between her fingers, staring at it. "Yes, I guess I've never taken it off since you placed it around my neck all those years ago." She stopped talking, as if the conversation was beginning to bother her. Danielle knelt next to Marc's body again, carefully opened the lighter and sparked the flame. She stared at the blue and orange flame for a second before reluctantly bringing it down to the side of his chest, which instantly caught on fire. She jumped back and stood there with Merrick, watching the flames dance across his body, rapidly burning his remains to nothing more than ashes. Merrick held her as she cried silently. _I'm sorry Marc, I never meant for this to happen…I hope you can be happy now at rest._

They gathered up his ashes and started walking back to the club together. "So Merrick, where are you staying now?" Danielle asked him. 

"Well, I was going to stay at a hotel until I can find a new place here." 

"Umm…I have a house not too far from here, you're welcome to stay with me if you'd like." 

"Are you sure? You've just lost Marc, and I don't want to intrude upon you too much. I know this is all hard for you." 

"No, I'd really like for you to stay with me, I don't want to be alone right now." 

"If you are sure about this, then I will take you up on your offer." 

"Ok, then it's settled. Follow me." 

They had come to the end of the woods and entered the back lot of Eternity. Danielle stopped suddenly. "Wait here." she commanded. She ran inside for a few minutes and then reappeared in the lot. "I just had to tell Richard that I won't be in for the rest of the night, so he will be in charge of closing up the club for me." 

He gave her a blank look. "Who is Richard?" 

"He's a friend, a fellow Toreador. He works at the club with me so I don't have to be there constantly." 

"Oh, ok." 

"Come on, let's get out of here. I could use some rest after that ordeal. My car is right there." She pointed to her powder blue colored Mitsubishi 3000GT parked right behind the building. 

"Wow, you didn't have that last I remembered." Merrick remarked. 

"I got it in 1998, after you had left." 

He looked on at the car sadly. "Oh…" 

"Well, come on!" She yelled as she hopped in the driver's seat. Merrick smiled to himself and walked around the car to the passenger side. _She hasn't changed one bit._

They were silent the whole ride to Danielle's house, an eerie uncomfortable air between them after being apart for so long. Finally, they arrived at her house in Cliffwood. She pulled up the driveway into the second garage door and pressed a button on her sun visor to close the door behind her. Merrick got out, walked around, and opened her door for her. He helped her out of the car and she almost started crying again when she saw Marc's green and white motorcycle sitting in the far corner of the garage next to his green Grand Am. "Come babe, let's get you inside." Merrick said soothingly. He picked her up in his strong arms and headed through the side door, emerging in a hallway. 

"Where is your room?" he asked. 

"No, no, no bedroom, take me to the living room for now. It's through the doorway on the right." He complied, and set her down on the dark blue couch against the back wall. Majin came loping in, having heard Danielle's car arrive. His big paws made a soft thumping sound on the carpet as he moved. Merrick stared at him, amazed. 

Danielle patted the big, black panther on the head. "Majin, you remember Merrick don't you?" Majin replied by nuzzling against his leg lovingly. "I guess he does remember me after all." Merrick laughed. 

Danielle gave a strained smiled. "He should remember you, you were the one who gave him to me!" 

Loki wandered in curiously behind Majin and jumped up on the couch next to her. "So who is this little guy?" Merrick inquired. Loki looked up at the stranger with his big green eyes and mewed. 

"Oh, that is Loki, Marc bought him for me as a gift." She began to look depressed again. "I need to feed Majin, would you like to do it for me Merrick?" 

"Sure, where is his food?" 

"In the refrigerator there are a couple of steaks, give him 2 or 3 for now." 

"Sure, come on Majin." He motioned for the cat to follow as he walked to the kitchen. 

Danielle sat on the couch stroking Loki's soft black fur, while contemplating her situation. _This is way too much to handle, Marc is gone, and suddenly my sire is back, who was supposedly dead. I loved Merrick more than the entire world, but he lied to me…and I have worked so hard to get past his death. I'm so confused, but Merrick is so gorgeous. How can I resist? I had always been captivated by his beauty as much as any Toreador could…._ Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as Merrick appeared in the doorway, he had removed his coat and shirt. He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Majin is fed. I gave him 4 steaks because he was pretty hungry. He finished them all off." 

"Thank you." Danielle replied. She just stared at him for a moment, taking him in. His long black hair framed his strong jaw line perfectly. A few strands fell in front of his bright green eyes; she had always loved those eyes. His arms were well muscled as was his chest and abdomen. His skin was pale and smooth; it made a nice contrast between his long dark hair and the black trousers he wore. _That man is like a work of art, I swear._ He smiled at her and asked, "What are you thinking about?" 

"Oh, nothing…just zoning out." _I can't stay mad at him when he gives me that smile._ Merrick uncrossed his arms and stepped into the room. He sat down on the couch next to her and ran his fingers through her hair, stopping to smell it. "You still smell as good as you used to." He grinned. She laughed and pushed him away playfully. "And **you're** still as big a flirt as always!" 

He pulled her close till his face was mere inches away from hers. "You never could resist me, not even when you were human." 

"No, I couldn't…if I could have, I wouldn't be here right now." 

"I am so filled with joy to be here with you, I've been waiting for this moment for so long, to taste you again, to hold you in my arms. But when I had met Nolan during my travels, he knew of you, he told me all about how he embraced your Marc to gain Paul's trust. I knew then that you had replaced me, and I almost didn't want to come back." 

She smiled. "I always loved you, after I thought you had died I was never the same. I vowed to get revenge on Paul someday. I cared deeply for Marc, but you were always in the back of my mind…you, my sweet dark prince, who gave me this life." 

Merrick frowned. "I feel terrible still about what happened. I gave Caleb the distraction he needed to catch Marc off guard. I would do anything to change what happened back there. Even if it meant never having you back, I would never have wanted to see you cry, to make you unhappy. He made you happy, did he not?" 

Danielle nodded her head slightly. "He did. But I still yearned to have you back even so." 

"I'm glad you feel that way." He leaned closer and kissed her on the lips, softly at first, then rougher as she responded to his passion. Danielle bit his lower lip as she kissed him, drawing blood. Merrick trailed down from her mouth to her neck; he bit into the soft flesh there and fed from her briefly. She cried out in pleasure, her nails scraped across his exposed back; blood trickled from the scratches. Merrick released his grip on her for a second. "God, you taste so good." He placed his lips over hers again, kissing her lightly. He finally pulled away and stroked her cheek lovingly. "You know, I've been waiting to do that since we were left alone," he said. "I really missed your kiss too Merrick," She replied. 

Danielle curled up against him and he hugged her tightly to his chest. _I have waited for this moment for so many years, and now I'm back…finally._ he thought to himself. "Danielle, I will never leave you again, I promise." 

"I know Merrick, I know." 

(So what does everyone think of Merrick, the long lost sire of Danielle? Anyway, that's all for ch4, it will be edited later I'm sure but that's it for now I think...Please R&R people!) 


End file.
